Main Entry:

im·pe·tus

Pronunciation:

\ˈim-pə-təs\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Latin, assault, impetus, from impetere to attack, from in- + petere to go to, seek — more at feather

Date:

1641

1 a (1): a driving force : impulse (2): incentive, stimulus b: stimulation or encouragement resulting in increased activity2: the property possessed by a moving body in virtue of its mass and its motion —used of bodies moving suddenly or violently to indicate the origin and intensity of the motion